We believe a strong foundation is necessary for every goalie.

Caruso Hockey is different from other goaltending services because of our direct and individualized approach for each goaltender. We do not believe in an one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, we custom-tailor instruction based on your goaltender's age, physical abilities, hockey aptitude, and personality.

Goalies are often asked whether they play stand-up, butterfly or hybrid style. We think it is more important to teach save techniques that would work with a particular goalie, not a specific goaltending style. Since every goaltender is different, this is where customized instruction for an individual comes in. We work with the goalie to figure out his or her best way to approach a particular situation. Goaltenders need to be flexible - literally and figuratively!

One of the most important foundational skills that goalies need to master is skating. You don’t need to be the fastest guy on the team. What you need is to develop balance and agility. Goaltenders can do this with practice and while playing out as forwards or defenseman. Being a full-time goaltender should not occur until after your goalie is a strong skater.

﻿“Skating out helps them with their skating technique and I'm a big believer that the lifeblood of goaltending is skating ability.﻿

- Kevin Reiter (USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program goalie coach)

WE BELIEVE IN MAKING HOCKEY FUN.

Caruso Hockey creates a positive, supportive and engaging environment that keeps our athletes coming back the next day, week, month, and season. We help our athletes to enjoy all aspects of hockey: skating, stretching, skill development, conditioning, and competing. We also know that athletes who are praised for their effort come to view their abilities as something they can control and change. These are the athletes who will be motivated to train hard and expect results based on the effort they put in. Effort and work ethic will get you farther in life than just raw talent.

Caruso Hockey emphasizes developmental appropriateness and opportunity making for our goalie instruction. Many young goalies watch and learn from their favorite NHL superstars. Obviously what a NHL goalie can do is very different from what our young goalies can do. More importantly, it is different than what they should be doing. Our goalies will learn proper save techniques that are appropriate for their age and ability level. We help coaches and parents understand that the best way to work with a beginning goalie is to give them shots that they can save and develop from. Overwhelming a goalie with too many shots, too many shooters at once, or hard shots from older players/coaches will run your goalie out of the net. We are not just a target! Honoring their age and having realistic expectations will help keep your goalie feeling positive about themselves and their abilities.

These kids see NHL goalies who are 6’2” and 6’4” that are able to be in proper position, and because of their size, drop down for an easy save. These kids, because they are so much smaller, there is so much net available and they are not successful.

– Corey Schwab, San Jose Sharks goalie coach

WE BELIEVE MISTAKES ARE ESSENTIAL TO LEARNING.

A good goalie knows how to stop the puck; a great goalie knows how to get up and keep playing after a puck goes in.Our athletes are praised often, told exactly what it is that they are doing right, and how they are progressing on new skills. We believe that discussing and modeling error correction with sincerity and a calm demeanor is the best approach for our athletes. We know that mistakes are necessary steps to learning and improving. When goaltenders make mistakes, they need to learn to readjust and let the mistake go. Too often, goalies begin to focus on it. They become so focused on what went wrong that mistakes start to snowball. Frustration hits and they don't know how to get out of this stress spiral. That's why goalies need support in their mental development as well. We will help your goalie learn relaxation techniques, self-talk, and acceptance of constructive feedback.

We believe it is important to directly teach and develop the psychological and mental aspects of hockey. Research shows us that as a player gets older, their physical abilities remain pretty stable and that psychological factors are more likely to affect performance. Caruso Hockey mindfully teaches and trains our athletes to be mentally prepared for the stressors and anxieties that impact motivation and overall performance.

No goalie can make it big without quality physical skills, yet just having quality physical skills is no guarantee of success. Mental skills are equally important.